1: being isolated or detached2: not open to new or different ideas: narrow

How do you use it?

"During the four years since his puppyhood he had lived the life of a sated aristocrat; he had a fine pride in himself, was even a trifle egotistical, as country gentlemen sometimes become because of their insular situation." (Jack London, _Call of the Wild_)

Are you a word wiz?

"Insular" has an earlier meaning than the two we list above. What is the original meaning of our word "insular"?

A. of, relating to, or forming an island

B. being inside of something

C. having insulation

D. of or relating to the study of ancient civilizations

"Insular" comes from the Latin word for "island" and was first used to refer to things that had to do with islands (as in, "an insular bird species not seen on the mainland"). The fact that islands are removed from the mainland and surrounded by water gave rise to the sense "being isolated or detached." This sense was used not only of things ("an insular country home"), but of people ("lived an insular life"). It eventually gave us the most recent meaning of "insular": "not open to new or different ideas," as in "a petty, insular woman who disliked anything unfamiliar." All three senses are still in use today.